Disassembly tool for hydraulic valve tappets



March 18, 1958 A J PRITCHARD ET AL 2,826,808

DISASSEMBLY TOOL FOR HYDRAULIC VALVE TAPPETS Filed Aug. 27, 1953 m m a 0m .I.CV9 Wu m a W 4 W 8 Mr W 2 mm ma 6 AH Y 2/ W. B .6 mm 4 3M0M 4 1P 7h v 1 AI 2 l 5 ZwZ l m F DISASSEMBLY TOOL FOR HYDRAULIC VALVE TAPPETSArnold J. Pritchard and Elmer M. Mickley, Carnegie, Okla.

Application August 27, 1953, Serial No. 376,812 2 Claims. (Cl. 29-282)This invention relates generally to automotive tools a d p ta morepartic l rly o a p d me nism for removing and disassembling hydraulicvalve tappets.

Internal combustion engines utilizing hydraulic valve tappets are notsusceptible to undue service requirements insofar as this type of valvetappet is concerned with the exception that hydraulic valve tappets mustbe periodically removed and cleaned to remove deposits of gum andvarnish which form thereon during normal service of the engine. Thesegums and varnishes not only tend to impair the operating eflic-iency ofhydraulic valve tappets but also make it extremely ditficult to removethese assemblies from the engine block.

Therefore, it is the primary object of this invention to provide animproved hydraulic valve lifter removing and disassembling tool whichnot only permit hydraulic valve tappets to be easily removed from anassociated engine block but also provides means whereby the componentparts of the lifter may be easily disassembled after removal from theengine block.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numeral refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section taken through a hydraulic lifter assemblyshowing the improved tool in operative position therein;

Figure 2 is an elevational view showing the manner of utilizing the toolfor disassembly after the tappet is removed from the engine;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially along the plane ofsection line 3--3 showing details of the assembly on an enlarged scale;and

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the extractor assembly.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 10indicates generally an internal combustion engine cylinder block and thereference character 12 indicates generally a hydraulic valve lifter ortappet associated therewith and correlated with a cam shaft 14 in amanner well understood in the art. The lifter includes a main bodyport-ion 16 having a lower chamber 18 therein surrounded by a shoulderwithin which a plunger 24 seats at its lower end. It is to be understoodthat the hydraulic valve tappet also includes a push rod seat and aretainer ring therefor at the upper end of the assembly as isconventional it also being understood that these parts must be removedfor the purpose of using the hereinafter described tool and that thedrawing does not show such elements inasmuch as they are conventionaland well understood in the art.

As is also conventional, the chamber 18 receives a compression spring 22which urges a valve ball 24 into closing engagement with an oil port 50for proper operation of the hydraulic valve tappet.

nited States Patent 2,826,808 Patented Mar. 18, 1,958-

The main portion of tool is indicated generally by the referencecharacter 26 and includes a handle portion 28 terminating at one end inan enlarged boss 30 which is apertured and threaded as at 32 and whichis provided with a depending expanding collet 34 at its lower end. Theexpanding collet is longitudinally split as indicated by the referencecharacter 36 to provide the depending finger members 38 and these fingermembers are provided at their lower ends with the inwardly tapered wedgeportions 40 in a manner shown more clearly in Figure 1,

An elongated expansion screw 42, provided with an enlarged hexagonalhead 44 at its upper end, is threaded through the aperture 32 andextends downwardly within the expanding collet 34. The expansion screw42 is provided with the tapered shoulder 46 engageable with the Wedgeportions 40 of the finger members 38 and the lower end of the expansionscrew terminates in a ball 48 for seating upon the surface of the lowerend of the plunger 20 surrounding oil port 50. The expansion screw isalso provided with a longitudinal bore 52 and a Zerk fitting 54 at itsupper end in the manner shown.

In using the removing and dissambling tool, it will be manifest that thehydraulic valve tappet retaining ring and push rod seat are removed fromthe hydraulic tappet assembly the expanding collet 34 is inserted withinthe plunger 20 and the expansion screw 42 is rotated until the toolassembly is in the position shown in Figure 1 wherein the ball 48 hassealed the bore 52 to the oil port 50 and the finger members 38 are infirm engagement with the inner surfaces of the plunger 20. Thereupon theentire valve lifter assembly may be removed from the associated engineblock by merely lifting upwardly on the tool handle 28. Since the Zerkfitting 54 is provided with the usual spring floated ball check valvetherein, and since the ball 48 of the expansion screw 42 has sealed theoil port 50 to the oil-filled chamber 18, sufiicient suction will becreated to efiectively link the members 16 and 24b for simultaneousremoval thereof.

When the hydraulic valve tappet assembly has been removed from theengine block, the tool handle 28 is inserted in a vise 56 and pressureis applied through the Zerk fitting 54 by means of a suitable gun 58 orany other suitable mechanism so that the main body portion 16 of thehydraulic valve tappet is hydraulically forced off the plunger 20 sothat the tappet assembly may be cleaned and reassembled for installationin the engine block.

It will be readily apparent that correct use of the above described toolassembly Will effect an extremely rapid removal and disassembly ofhydraulic valve tappets which has heretofore been a laborious andtime-consuming operation and one which necessarily required rather roughusage of the hydraulic valve tappet assembly.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will bereadily understood and further explanation is believed to beunnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes willreadily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limitthe invention to the exact construction shown and described, andaccordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resortedto, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A disassembly tool for a hydraulic valve tappet of the type having atubular main body portion surrounding a tubular plunger provided with acentral oil port in its bottom, comprising a handle having a boss at oneend and an expansible extractor element depending therefrom, saidextractor element being adapted for insertion within said plunger, meansfor expanding said element into engagement with the inner wall of saidplunger, said extractor element consisting of a longitudinally splithousing having enlarged cam portions at its free end, said meansincluding an elongated member threadedly engaged in said boss and havingtapered portions engageable with said cam portions for expanding saidextractor element, said elongated member also having a tapered lowerextremity for engagement with the said central oil port, said elongatedmember being provided with a longitudinal bore therethrough, and a checkvalve mounted on the upper extremity of said elongated member in communicationwith the bore in the latter.

2. A disassembly tool for a hydraulic valve tappet of the type having anouter cup-shaped main body portion slidably enclosing an innercup-shaped plunger provided with a central oil port at the center of itsbottom, comprising: a handle portion; an enlarged boss formed on oneextremity, of said handle portion; a tubular, split collet formed on andextending sidewardly from said boss and adapted to be inserted in theouter body portion of said tappet; an expansion screw threaded throughsaid boss and extending axially of said collet; a wedge portion formedon said screw positioned to exert an expanding action on said colletwhen said screw is rotated; a downwardly extending lower extremity onsaid screw positioned below said wedge portion and adapted to close saidcentral oil port when said screw is screwed into said collet; and anaxial oil passage formed in said screw through which oil may be forcedunder pressure through said port to cause said plunger to rise in saidouter body portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,246,415 Gerrish Nov. 13, 1911 2,607,620 Oliveri Aug. 19, 19522,619,717 Gober Dec. 2, 1952 2,671,262 Kuniholnr Mar. 9, 1954 2,754,574Clarke et a1 July 17, 1956 2,755,540 Crozier July 24, 1956 FOREIGNPATENTS,

18,977 Great Britain Aug. 18, 1909

